Hawai'i's taxi meters are expected to be more accurate under new program that will use global positioning satellite technology to certify taxis starting next month.

Under a $25,000 contract with the state Department of Agriculture, Honolulu's Oceanit Laboratories Inc. will develop the GPS system and also will put radio identification tags into Hawai'i's 2,300 licensed taxis. The portable GPS technology, which partly will be purchased off the shelf, will allow inspectors to more closely measure the accuracy of a meter over a one-mile test, said John Ryan, administrator for the Agriculture Department's quality assurance division, which registers and inspects taxis.

The technology, which will be rolled out with about 40 cabs starting next month, will modernize a process that is about 30 years old. Currently the department tests taxi meter accuracy by manually activating a meter and driving a fixed course. Meters are allowed to be accurate to plus or minus 100 feet, Ryan said. The allowable tolerance for meters will remain the same for now. However, the accuracy of the test will be plus or minus 10 feet.

That should be more accurate than current methods, Ryan said.

"The accuracy isn't where it should be," he said. "We want to be able to measure with highest accuracy as possible."

It will take at least a year before all cab meters are certified with the new test. Meters are tested annually. In the year ended June 30, 2006, 90 percent of a total of 2,132 taxi meters tested were in compliance with state accuracy standards, according to state Department of Agriculture records.

In addition to the new test the department will be installing a passive transmitter that can be used to wirelessly detect a cab's registration number. Inspectors can use radio-frequency identification tag readers and a portable computer to wirelessly detect whether taxis have up to date licenses and certifications.

Oceanit's system will turn that manual process, which is prone to errors, and transform it into an automated process, said Dan Inoshita, project manager for the Honolulu technology company.

"We're using technology to take that process in to the 21st Century," he said.

Reach Sean Hao at shao@honoluluadvertiser.com.